HP - Shadows
by Jemas Cimasa
Summary: Benedict Strause was unnaturally subdued. Even when he learned of magic this was so. Why on earth was he surprised by a cat? A companion story to the main books to go alongside but not touch.
1. Ch1 - The Wizard that Died

The library was quiet. Libraries usually are of course, but especially during the night. Tall bookshelves crowded the entire floor and more floors besides, each shelf housing tome after tome. The books here cry out to be read, for years of student's apathy have let them grow bored with only themselves as company, except of course for the standard few the teachers know enough of to assign homework from. You see, they only have themselves to read.

No one in the school can hear them. Students and teachers pass and the books scream for attention, to pass on the knowledge stored in their pages, but none hear. So the books wait, giving what they can to the students who read. But they yearn for more. Yearn to grant their readers knowledge that cannot be read, only passed from thought to mind.

One book however, carefully placed in the section restricted from use by the students, never speaks. Never cries out. The other books have never heard it scream out. It sits on its shelf, the only one on the row (the other books being taken away due to having been damaged somehow) and waits. It plans. You see, this is the book that knows secrets lesser books cringe at. It knows the things Dark Wizards spend years trekking to the furthest reaches of Egypt, the Amazon, Europe, or China to get their hands on. If they only knew they were all tucked away at Hogwarts.

This book was nothing special to look at. Cover colored black, with a darker grey spine. Not the hardened leather of a Dragon taming manual, nor the soft cloth of the home care/self help books the witches have been buying now-a-days. To the world it looked normal, as if worth nothing more than a few knuts at a second hand book shop.

Tonight was Halloween, a day of magic. A day the book knew could help a wizard gain much power if the right spells were cast, or rituals were made. The books thoughts turned to a wizard he knew years prior. He thought of all that the wizard had done with the knowledge the book had given him. The book felt pleased at his accomplishment, taking the young lad and teaching him (though he had no knowledge of it) the secrets that helped the wizard become the powerful figure he was in society. As its thoughts turned to the wizard, the book opened the one-way connection he had to the wizard, and saw through his eyes for a moment.

He saw a small two story cottage, with a picket fence ringing it. The wizards cloak swirled behind him as he sped to the door, allowing himself to fly over the gate, and keeping himself off the ground as to not make any undue noise. The book thought that a prudent measure. Silence charms worked wonders, but a person should do all they can to make sure everything went as well as possible.

A twitch of his wand and the door was opened. As it came free the book knew the wards would go off. The wizard heard movement above him and a few hushed words. The wizard twitched his wand again, and the book knew more wards had been placed over the house to keep them in. The people inside were not getting away tonight.

Moving through the now open door, the wizard watched the stairs going to the second floor. The book knew he was going after the people in the house, and from his actions expected to have to fight them. Slinking up the stairs, the wizard flicked his wand a few more times. The book thought he was warding himself, but wasn't sure. It had been many years since they had been in contact, and the book was now unable to glimpse as clearly into the man's mind as he had when he was still a boy.

From above came movement, followed with a bolt of red. _Wizards_ the book thought, _when will they learn? Stunning is worthless._ The stunner sped for the wizard, but bounced from him and hit the wall. The book could feel the wizard smiling. Gliding up the stairs the wizard jerked his wand towards his foe. This time however he spoke, his voice a hissing snarl of "Avada Kedavra". The book thought him above speaking his spells now, but decided it must be pride, him wanting his enemies to know what killed them.

The green bolt sped towards the man as he was running into what the book assumed was a bedroom. He fell. The book could feel the wizards smile as he walked towards the room. Curious to see if he knew the man, the book went through all of the students that had been in Hogwarts the past few years. Coming up with a blank, though knowing he didn't have much to work with as the man was face down, the book dropped the issue without a second thought.

The bedroom (Which the room was) held a baby cradle, and a woman. The woman was saying something, but the book had a hard time making it out. He wasn't all that familiar with the spoken word, though he knew more spells then any living wizard. He saw fear in the woman's face as she yelled at the wizard. Long red hair and green eyes were noticed, and the book remembered who this woman was. Lily Evans. Suddenly remembering the prophesy made not long prior, the book screamed at the Wizard to stop and leave the boy he knew was there alone.

But the wizard would not be stopped. Not by the woman in front of him he despised, nor from the book of whom he was unaware. The wizard jerked his wand once more and another flash of green ended the woman's life. As her body fell to the floor he walked to the crib and peered in.

The baby was, in a word, normal. There was nothing special about it, but the book knew that was going to change. The book knew the wizard was going to seal his own fate, and give this boy more power than he had imagined was possible, at least possible through the Killing Curse. The book felt sorry for the boy, knowing what heroes are forced to do, but he felt more so for the wizard. He felt disappointed that the wizard had gotten so sloppy, so lax as to not study everything about the situation. And it was with that emotion that the book withdrew his link to the wizard. Withdrew the link and took with it a copy of all the knowledge the wizard had gained since he had left the school.

As he closed the link he weakly felt the third flash of green of the night take the wizard's life away. He felt the wizard's powers imprint on the baby. Felt the remains of the wizard's essence travel far away.

He would try again. He would find another wizard to teach and mentor. He would wait for another to come to him.

He could wait for that. I mean, he was a book. What else did he have to do?


	2. Authors Note

This was inspired by an episode of Teen Titans, if you would believe it. Raven finds a book and it teaches her many marvelous things. Magics she had never heard of even. She even gains control over her emotions because she is truly happy. Then the book turns on her and she curses the dragon within it to oblivion. She then regresses.

With this in mind I had sometimes wondered about the intelligence of objects in the HP universe. Do they think? All of them? Like the sorting hat? Why then is only the sorting hat able to speak? It was during those thoughts I thought of who could have taught Lord Voldibutt all of his dark magic.

The story will be set at the same time as the books. The main characters of the books will be mentioned, but they will not play a major role, if even any roll at all. I plan on having the main character have a completely separate story, and problem.

I would also like to note I will be trying to match the books word for word, when at all possible. That will mean the chapters will take a little longer to be released, but each one will be at least ten pages long. Please be patient with me.

Wish me luck.

Jemas Cimasa


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